Belgium and Cologne - Why You Should Put Visits on Your Bucket List
- elleno1962
- Mar 16, 2024
- 6 min read
Updated: Apr 16, 2024
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Many European trips appear focused around taking a river cruise or visiting one of the larger cities such as Paris, London, or Rome.
After hearing for years from friends Bob and Judy how wonderful they found Belgium to live during the 1970’s, I knew I had to see the country for myself.
Our vacation in September 2023 proved to be one of my all time favorites. I say this because this trip in particular provided great pleasure, surprises, relaxation, and sheer beauty.
I’m outlining this trip as it was planned because it proved flawless and incredibly easy to execute.
Pete and I flew into Amsterdam on April 26th, 2023, meeting up with our elder son Phil at the Schiphol train station. I purchased our Europass in the US; finding it very easy to buy, just a bit tricky to activate.
Traveler’s Tip: Europass tickets must be activated by using a phone app. It’s easy to do but does make it necessary to have a WIFI connection or a European SIM card in your phone. Once activated, it’s a breeze to use from any train station in the zone you buy. Our Eurorail pass was good for Belgium and the Netherlands for 5 days during a one month period.
It’s a lovely train ride to Brugge, Belgium from Amsterdam. From the moment we arrived, we instantly fell in love with the medieval city dating back to the 11th century. We were told Brugge was spared from bombing during WW2 because the Nazi general ordered to destroy it, refused to push the button. It was (and still is) that beautiful.
Splurge a bit and book your stay at the Casselbergh Grand Hotel, a hotel truly earning its name, Grand. (We put Phil up at a less expensive hotel around the corner to save money.) Once a royal palace for King Charles II in the 17th century, each room on the ground floor still evokes royal comfort. The guest rooms are lovely and the hotel's steam sauna and spa are fantastic reprieves after a great day of sightseeing, shopping, and buggy riding.
Using Tripadvisor, I snagged hard to get reservations at two great restaurants: Diligence and Cambrinus. Feeling totally rested after our two nights stay, we were ready to hop on the train to our next stop - Brussels.
We had zero issues moving about the large city. Like Paris, you have to keep your valuables close and your eyes open.
Traveler’s Tip: Brussels is a known hub for pickpockets. This is a city where ladies should carry a cross body purse, men should keep their wallets in their front pockets , and keep your passports locked up in the hotel safe.
Brussels proved full of surprises. The Atomium, easily reached by train, was built for the 1958 World Expo. Originally designed as a temporary structure, it became so popular it now stands as a permanent city icon. Visitors can explore the giant molecule via internal escalators. We loved the light show and exhibits immensely.
Our favorite outing came completely by surprise. While viewing the city from the top of the Atomium, we noticed nearby signage for an exhibit seemingly too good to be true. When investigating further on the web, I practically squealed in delight. We had stumbled upon Bond in Motion; an exhibition filled with many various modes of transportation used in the James Bond movies over the decades.
We knew we had to check it out. As a longtime fan of Bond movies, all I can say is “Wow!” Moving from room to room, we saw famous cars, planes, boats, and motorcycles used in most of the 27 released Bond movies. We felt like kids in a candy shop.
After completing our tour, Phil, Pete and I sat on blue velvet sofas in Bond’s “lounge”, letting the feel of the place literally soak in. I couldn’t resist ordering a “Bond” martini, “shaken not stirred”.
Travelers Tip: Warning: it turns out James likes a healthy jigger of Vermouth in his martinis which I found almost undrinkable. I should have stuck with a reliable dirty martini "shaken, not stirred".
Travelers Tip: Bond in Motion can now be enjoyed in the US at the International Spy Museum in Washington, DC and in Europe at the Prague Exhibition Center
Our chosen accommodation for two nights added to our enjoyment of nostalgia. Brussels’ Vintage Hotel is entirely decorated in furniture and toys of the 1960’s and 70’s (including a CHiPs motorcycle perched on the balcony outside of our room). Phil slept in a completely renovated 1950’s American Airstream. Fun!
A must do side trip from Brussels is a day visit to Ghent. Vastly unchanged in its 1400 years, all I can say is, the medieval treasure is fabulous! The well done guided tour inside Castle of the Counts (AD 1180) is fascinating. Be sure to finish your day taking a leisurely boat ride on the Lys River.
Traveler’s Tip: Get your timed tickets in advance to tour the castle. Many tourists caught unawares were not able to obtain admission for several hours.
After our five days in Belgium, we used our Europass to return to the Netherlands for a few days of relaxation in Enschede, Netherlands where Phil has lived for the past two years. Geographically on the German border, Enschede is a charming city with a small town feel. Folks are friendly in Enschede and in nearby Hengelo. Renting bikes, we spent much of our time exploring wooded trails and dining in the Grote Markts.
Because we could easily jump on a German train in Enschede, we decided to visit nearby Cologne, Germany for two nights.
I stumbled upon the Adina hotel franchise in my web search and can’t say enough great things about the chain. Our apartments included a living area, kitchen, and comfy beds at a very reasonable price.
Traveler’s Tip: Cologne has two Adina apartment hotels. Be sure to check out each one’s amenities before booking. One hotel has a great indoor pool, the other, not.
Dating back 2,000 years, Cologne was heavily bombed during WWII and unfortunately has been rebuilt in mostly “1960’s basic box architecture”. There remains reminders of the horrors the city endured just 80 years ago such as the remains of Old St. Alban Church and railroad tracks leading to bridges long ago destroyed by the Allies. Despite being hit 14 times by bombing missions during the war, Cologne Cathedral still stands tall, its spires visible for miles.
Visit Cologne's fantastic zoo! I vote the zoo’s Elephant House the best ever! The gorilla and sloth habitats were simply captivating. The cheetahs look pretty happy here too.
Traveler’s Tip: The Cologne Zoo is a must see! If possible, visit on Monday when you can witness the weekly piranha feeding.
While touring around on our second day, we encountered an event not usually available on average travel itineraries.
After lunch at our center square restaurant, Pete left our table early to head to the grocery ahead of approaching storm clouds. Phil and I paid the bill and started walking back to our Adina. When approaching one of the several bridges crossing the Rhine River, two large police vehicles stopped directly in front us. Officers, in full gear, spilled out of their trucks. Looking around, Phil and I noticed a group of 15 or so men and women holding signs while standing quietly on the nearby street corner. To be honest, I was noticing the handsome officers a bit more than the group or their signs.
Phil and I walked by without incident. As we neared the top of the bridge, we noticed that there was no longer any car traffic, coming or going. As we stopped to fully ascertain the situation, a few police motorcycles passed us, heading toward the direction we had come from.
“I wonder if there has been some sort of accident,” I said to Phil.
After we stepped off the bridge, we saw what all the commotion was about. Directly in front of us were about 50 men and women, heading over the bridge we had just crossed. Many of them were waving Russian flags. Phil and I looked at each other and quickly decided to keep moving quietly toward our hotel.
We heard later that it was a pro-Russian/anti war demonstration. Fortunately the event occurred peacefully.
The three of us returned to Enschede for two more nights at Phil’s comfortable apartment. From there, Pete and I said our goodbyes and took the train back to Schiphol Airport for a flight out the next morning. Could this trip get any better?
You bet!
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